Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description in this section is not prior art to the claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Typical devices constituted of a plurality of constituent parts, in addition to a normal mode where every constituent part operates to provide functions, there are provided some devices having a power-saving mode that cuts off electric power supply or reduces supplied electric power to some constituent parts so as to reduce power consumption.
Even the typical device having such power-saving mode is required to appropriately reply states of the respective constituent parts of the device with respect to a query from a management device at a remote location via a network or wireless communications.
For the query from the management device, typical devices have performed followings. No reply has been made due to maintenance of the power-saving mode being placed at higher priority, a typical device has replied the past state that is not the latest state, or a typical device has replied the latest state of the respective constituent parts of the device by returning the device to the normal mode at the sacrifice of power-saving.
In contrast to this, there is provided a technique, as an intermediate state between the entire power-saving mode with the lowest power consumption and the normal mode, causes only the queried constituent parts to return from the power-saving mode (hereinafter referred to as “partial startup”) among the respective constituent parts of the device, and replies the latest state with respect to the query. This ensures reduced power consumption compared with a power consumption when fully returned to the normal mode.
Further, the technique discloses a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), which is compliant with a server management interface of an industry standard referred to as Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI).
The BMC provides a failure notification function or a similar function with respect to the management device even when an Operating System (OS) of a computer is being down. The BMC always monitors hardware errors. Even when power supply to a main body of a device is turned off, an electric power is supplied to the BMC as long as a power supply cord is connected to an electric outlet, and the BMC continues monitoring.